Shingrix vaccine?

Get the vaccine. The short term discomfort is so much better than a devastating case of shingles. I would not hesitate for one minute to get the vaccine. I'd be in my car and on the way right this minute (except I already had mine)

@lylii this is @joy79, That is great you have the vaccine. I had shingles in my late teens. It was horrendous. It was summer and clothes were a hard option. I slept in my living room to stay cool at night. So I didn’t hesitate to go to the pharmacy and get the vaccine. So glad they have it available.

@celia16, this is @joy79. I understand the concern about side effects from the Shingrix vaccine. I didn’t have any of that just a sore arm. My body tends to be sensitive to medicines, my list of medications that I had a reaction to is long. I get the flu and pneumonia vaccine with no reaction. I believe it is your decision and only you can say yes. Just think about the vaccine and do some research on it. The shingles can last for a good while and it is painful.

@joy79 , hey Joy, I did get the vaccine and had no problems. Fortunately, I’ve never encountered any problem with a vaccine.

I got the Shingrix vaccine (two shots). My advice: get it on a Friday and plan on staying home to rest over the weekend. I was good to go by Monday both times.

My concern about the Shingrix and any other vaccine is how it is received with a body that has fibromyalgia and other autoimmune conditions....So I looked it up and it is recommended that you wait until after a flare to get Shingrix because that vaccine triggers a very strong response similar to a fibro flare anyway....

Here’s what I think: the reason people feel so terrible is because the medicine is working!!! having had viruses in my joints. I can tell you from several protocols over 30 years that when medicine is killing the thing it sent to destroy in your joints. It is super painful! And because we each have different levels of any viral disease in our joint, we’re going to experience it differently. I can tell you in regards specifically to the shingles vaccine that with the old one which was replaced by Shingrex I had little reaction. But when they told me I had to come back for the new two-part medicine on the first dose I had a TERRIBLE reaction I was down for 3 to 5 days with an immune response. The second part I had zero reaction because my body did exactly what it was supposed to do and destroyed the shingles virus in the first part dose.
I myself do not want to have any virus living in my joints, which will cause me nightmares tenfold when I least expect it. I’ve known many people to get shingles and it takes them down to the ground for weeks. There is just no comparison to being miserable for a couple days due to the virus or having a case of shingles. It doesn’t make any logical sense. There are ways to mitigate side effects. You should talk to your doctor about this however I can tell you the way you mitigate it is by taking steps that are similar to any drug that provokes an immune response.(meaning your body ramping up to fight a sickness.) . These are things like hydrating yourself with electrolytes like Pedialyte for a couple days before, taking Tylenol the day before and after or as long as needed, and if your doctor recommends taking a steroid reducing pill like prednisone around the injection time for three days.
I used to have a lot of problems with vaccines because my immune system would always go haywire. I’d always have to take a few days off to let my immune system do its thing. But that is supposed to happen. If you have the disease and the vaccine is treating the disease, then it wraps up your immune system to fight and kill the disease. The good news is that I no longer have any reactions to any vaccinations!!!! that means that everything which was hiding in my joint is no longer living dormant in my joints, waiting for a surprise attack. I hope you decide to get your injections and just prepare for them. Then you will be able to sleep well at night, knowing that you won’t get horrible Shingrex! It really is horrible!

@lylii Agree ! Have had 2 light cases, not bad. Years later, had a whoppacious awful case. The pain cannot be realized, without going through it ! Don’t go through it ! The shots are nothing, compared to Shingles pain.

Thank you all so very much for your recommendations. I have an appointment with my doctor Thursday the 17th and will get the Shingrix vaccine then. I'm only waiting that long because I will have a dog boarder before that. My doctor will be thrilled I'm finally going to get the Shingrix vaccines. You all are a blessing in my life!

@orest

I got both shots...guess who got Shingles again? My friend from college got the first shot, he couldn't get out of bed for 4 days, and he doesn't have Fibro. I'm not getting another vaccine again.